SCC President Lee Lambert asked for some specific help as the college starts planning for the next round of potential budget cuts.

“Help us define transparency,” Lambert said. A Budget Committee report this past spring cited transparency in the process as an issue. “I want to address your needs, but help us know what those looks like to you.”

Feedback was taken at the meeting on slips of paper that will be transcribed and forwarded to the Budget Committee. Also, an anonymous e-mail feedback option will be available by Monday, Nov. 2, athttp://intranet.shoreline.edu/budgetcommittee/

If state budget cuts play out as they now appear, ShorelineCommunity College and the rest of the state college system are in for even tougher times ahead.

“We are at, or close to, the tipping point,” Vice President for Administrative Services Daryl Campbell told several hundred college faculty and staff members at the Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 all-campus meeting. “It’s different now and we’ll have to take a longer view, a more strategic view.”

In his presentation, Campbell outlined the financial challenges ahead as it relates to the state budget. State payments to SCC account for approximately 60 percent of the college’s overall budget of about $37 million..

“In June, the state forecast a $1 billion shortfall,” Campbell said, adding that SCC’s piece at that point was projected to be about $550,000. By September, the hole had deepened to $1.8 billion, he said.

“When all that’s considered, just like last year, we’re looking at a range of potential cuts,” Campbell said. The range without considering I-1033 could be $1.35-2.7 million (6-12 percent). With I-1033, the range could jump to $2.3-3.8 million (10-16.8 percent).

Campbell noted that SCC would likely be more sensitive to future cuts, given the five years of successive reductions the school has endured. The cuts over the past years average $1.1 million a year, he said.

While an exact target is impossible to know now, Campbell said there are steps to be taken, including planning for a wide range of reduction targets and involving College Council and the Budget and Strategic Planning committees. In addition, the college constituencies can help establish criteria and guidelines for any potential reorganization or restructuring that may be necessary, help set a timeline for action and help define a transparent process.